Claims
- 1. A hopper for a stack of sheet-like materials adapted to be drawn from a bottom of the stack by a sucker assembly for delivery to a predetermined element of a utilization device comprising:a hopper formed of substantially parallel first and second guides extending at an acute angle from a supporting surface for the stack; a pneumatic sucker assembly acting on the bottom sheet of the stack; wherein the parallel portion of the first guide extends from the surface a shorter distance than the parallel portion of the second guide extends from the surface, the second guide ends in an angled portion to form a wider opening for passing of the sheets; whereby the sheets are supported in the narrowing gap between the guides to reduce the pressure exerted on the surface by the stack.
- 2. The hopper as set forth in claim 1 wherein the rear bottom edge includes a short ledge for supporting a rear edge of the bottom of the stack.
- 3. The hopper as set forth in claim 2 further comprising side guides adjacent to the front guide, the side guides including inwardly directed shelves for supporting respective edges of the stack.
- 4. The hopper as set forth in claim 3 wherein the shelves are each angled inwardly in a reward direction from the front guide to the back guide.
- 5. The hopper as set forth in claim 4 further comprising a roller engaging the bottom of the stack between the short ledge and the front guide for further support of the stack.
- 6. The hopper as set forth in claim 1 further comprising ports at predetermined positions thereon for directing air at edges of the stack so as to break adhesion between the sheet-like materials of the stack.
- 7. The hopper as set forth in claim 6 wherein the ports are located on at least one of the rear bottom edge and the front bottom edge.
- 8. The hopper as set forth in claim 1 wherein the stack defines a material length parallel to the front guide and the rear guide and the material length is greater than the rear bottom edge.
- 9. The hopper as set forth in claim 1 further comprising an anti-static unit directed at the bottom of the stack.
- 10. The hopper as set forth in claim 1 wherein the sucker assembly comprises a block having a recess that receives a suction cup therein and is surrounded at least in part by portions of a top face, the block being adapted to engage the bottom of the stack to that the top face protrudes into and moves the bottom of the stack during a singulating cycle.
- 11. The hopper as set forth in claim 10 further comprising lower shelves that contact each sheet-like material as it is drawn from the stack by the sucker assembly, the shelves including non-parallel inward-facing ends so as to minimize wedging of sheets thereinto.
- 12. The hopper as set forth in claim 11 further comprising a first movable hold-down finger that engages the sheet-like material as it is drawn into the lower shelves, the hold down finger being adapted to move against the sheet-like material so as to flick an adjacent sheet like material to the sheet-like material engaging the sucker assembly upwardly toward the bottom of the stack.
- 13. The hopper as set forth in claim 11 further comprising a second movable hold-down finger that moves in conjunction with the first movable hold-down finger.
- 14. The hopper as set forth in claim 10 wherein the block is located off center with respect to a centerline taken along a length of the stack between opposing stack edges thereof, the centerline being parallel to the front guide and the rear guide.
- 15. The hopper as set forth in claim 10 further comprising another sucker block located remote from the sucker block and engaging the bottom of the stack in conjunction with the sucker block.
- 16. The hopper as set forth in claim 15 wherein the sucker block and the other sucker block are constructed and arranged so that the sucker block engages the bottom of the stack at a time and with a degree of protrusion both different than a time and degree of protrusion of the other sucker block.
- 17. The hopper as set forth in claim 10 wherein the sucker block is adapted to rotate away from the bottom of the stack, and draw therewith a sheet-like material, at an initial slower rate and a subsequent faster rate so as to enable air to fill a space between the sheet-like material and an adjacent sheet-like material during rotation at the slower rate.
- 18. The hopper as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of the rear bottom edge and the front bottom edge includes a rolling member or guiding and directing a bottom portion of the stack.
- 19. The hopper as set forth in claim 18 wherein the rolling member includes a motor operatively connected to the rolling member for driving the rolling member to urge the sheets in a desired direction.
- 20. The hopper as set forth in claim 1 wherein the hopper includes at least one of a brush, an air bearing and a driven rolling member that engage the stack so as to reduce friction on the stack as the sheet-like materials are directed toward the bottom of the stack.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/235,125, which was filed on Sep. 25, 2000, by H. W. Crowley entitled SINGULATING A STACK OF ITEMS and is hereby incorporated by reference.
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2 092 556 |
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GB |
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Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/235125 |
Sep 2000 |
US |